Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation

Bomber Command - May 1940

No 2 (Bomber) Group (HQ - Huntingdon)

 

Unit	Location/Administered by
RAF Station Wattisham	Wattisham, Suffolk
No 107 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Wattisham
No 110 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Wattisham
RAF Station Watton	Watton, Norfolk
No 21 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Watton
No 82 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Watton
RAF Station West Raynham*	West Raynham, Norfolk
No 101 (Bomber) Sqn (R)	RAF West Raynham
RAF Station Wyton	Wyton, Huntingdonshire
No 15 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Wyton
No 40 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Wyton

All squadrons equipped with Blenheims

*HQ and one flight of No 76 Sqn (Hampdens) of No 6 Group will be located at this station from formation on 30 Apr 1940 until it moves to Hatfield Woodhouse on 30 Jun 1940

Squadrons of No 2 Group will be detached to RAF Lossiemouth as operationally requisite

(R) = Reserve Squadron - Two of the three flights in these squadrons are available for operations in emergency

No 3 (Bomber) Group (HQ - Mildenhall)

 

Unit	Location/Administered by
RAF Station Feltwell	Feltwell, Norfolk
No 37 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Feltwell
No 75 (New Zealand) Sqn	RAF Feltwell
RAF Station Honington	Honington, Suffolk
No 9 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Honington
No 215 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Honington
RAF Station Marham	Marham, Norfolk
No 38 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Marham
No 115 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Marham
No 3 Group Target Towing Flight (Battles)	RAF Marham
RAF Station Mildenhall	Mildenhall, Suffolk
No 99 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Mildenhall
No 149 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Mildenhall
RAF Station Stradishall	Stradishall, Suffolk
No 148 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Stradishall
No 214 (Bomber) Sqn (R)	RAF Stradishall

All squadrons equipped with Wellingtons

(R) = Reserve Squadron - Two of the three flights in these squadrons are available for operations in emergency

No 4 (Bomber) Group (HQ - York)

 

Unit	Location/Administered by
RAF Station Dishforth	Dishforth, North Riding of Yorkshire
No 10 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Dishforth
No 51 (Bomber) Sqn (R)	RAF Dishforth
RAF Station Driffield	Driffield, East Riding of Yorkshire
No 77 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Driffield
No 102 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Driffield
No 97 (Bomber) Sqn*	RAF Driffield
No 4 Group Target Towing Flight (Battles)	RAF Driffield
RAF Station Linton-on-Ouse	Linton-on-Ouse, North Riding of Yorkshire
No 78 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Linton-on-Ouse
No 58 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Linton-on-Ouse
RAF Station Leeming (opens 1 Jun 1940)	Leeming, North Riding of Yorkshire

All squadrons equipped with Whitleys

(R) = Reserve Squadron - Two of the three flights in these squadrons are available for operations in emergency

*HQ and one flight until 30 Jun 1940 when it will move to RAF Leeming.

Squadrons of No 4 Group will be detached to RAF Kinloss as operationally requisite

No 5 (Bomber) Group (HQ - 'St Vincents', Grantham)

 

Unit	Location/Administered by
No 185 (Bomber) Sqn*	RAF Cottesmore - Station on No 6 Group
RAF Station Finningley	Finningley, West Riding of Yorkshire
No 7  (Bomber) Sqn**	RAF Finningley
No 106 (Bomber) Sqn (R)	RAF Finningley
RAF Station Hemswell	Hemswell, Lincolnshire
No 61 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Hemswell
No 144 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Hemswell
RAF Station Scampton	Scampton, Lincolnshire
No 49 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Scampton
No 83 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Scampton
RAF Station Waddington	Waddington, Lincolnshire
No 44 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Waddington
No 50 (Bomber) Sqn	RAF Waddington
No 5 Group Target Towing Flight (Battles)	RAF Waddington
RAF Station Hatfield Woodhouse (opens 1 Jun 1940)	Hatfield Woodhouse, West Riding of Yorkshire
No 7  (Bomber) Sqn (from 30 Jun 1940)	RAF Hatfield Woodhouse
No 76  (Bomber) Sqn (from 30 Jun 1940)	RAF Hatfield Woodhouse
RAF Station Newton (opens 1 Jul 1940)	Newton, Nottinghamshire
No 185 (Bomber) Sqn (from 1 Aug 1940)	RAF Newton
No 271 (Transport) Sqn (Various)	RAF Doncaster

All squadrons equipped with Hampdens (No 185 also has 9 x Ansons temporarily)

*To move to Newton on 1 Aug 1940.

**HQ and one flight until 30 Jun 1940.

(R) = Reserve Squadron - Two of the three flights in these squadrons are available for operations in emergency

No 6 (Auxiliary) Group (HQ - Norwich)

 

Unit	Location
RAF Station Abingdon	Abingdon, Berkshire
No 10 Operational Training Unit - Whitleys	RAF Abingdon (administers Code & Cypher School, Oxford - No 26 Group)
RAF Station Bassingbourn	Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire
No 11 Operational Training Unit - Wellingtons	RAF Bassingbourn
RAF Station Benson	Benson, Oxfordshire
No 12 Operational Training Unit - Battles	RAF Benson
RAF Station Bicester	Bicester, Oxfordshire
No 13 Operational Training Unit - Blenheims	RAF Bicester
No 6 Group Target Towing Flight - Battles	RAF Bicester
RAF Station Cottesmore	Cottesmore, Rutland
No 14 Operational Training Unit - Hampdens	RAF Cottesmore
RAF Station Harwell	Harwell, Oxfordshire
No 15 Operational Training Unit - Wellingtons	RAF Harwell
RAF Station Hucknall	Hucknall, Nottinghamshire
No 18 (Polish) Operational Training Unit - Battles	RAF Hucknall
RAF Station Upper Heyford	Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire
No 16 Operational Training Unit - Hampdens	RAF Upper Heyford
RAF Station Upwood	Upwood, Huntingdonshire
No 17 Operational Training Unit - Blenheims	RAF Upwood

(R) = Reserve Squadron

The following squadrons of Bomber Command have been reduced to a 'number only' basis until it becomes practicable to reform them as operational units

Source - SD161 (3rd Issue), May 1940

County names used are those in use at the time

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